Temperature and pH define the realised niche space of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

• Published in: The New phytologist Vol. 231; no. 2; pp. 763 - 776
• Main Authors: Davison, John, Moora, Mari, Semchenko, Marina, Adenan, Sakeenah Binte, Ahmed, Talaat, Akhmetzhanova, Asem A., Alatalo, Juha M., Al-Quraishy, Saleh, Andriyanova, Elena, Anslan, Sten, Bahram, Mohammad, Batbaatar, Amgaa, Brown, Charlotte, Bueno, C. Guillermo, Cahill, James, Cantero, Juan José, Casper, Brenda B., Cherosov, Mikhail, Chideh, Saida, Coelho, Ana P., Coghill, Matthew, Decocq, Guillaume, Dudov, Sergey, Fabiano, Ezequiel Chimbioputo, Fedosov, Vladimir E., Fraser, Lauchlan, Glassman, Sydney I., Helm, Aveliina, Henry, Hugh A. L., Hérault, Bruno, Hiiesalu, Indrek, Hiiesalu, Inga, Hozzein, Wael N., Kohout, Petr, Kõljalg, Urmas, Koorem, Kadri, Laanisto, Lauri, Mander, Ülo, Mucina, Ladislav, Munyampundu, Jean-Pierre, Neuenkamp, Lena, Niinemets, Ülo, Nyamukondiwa, Casper, Oja, Jane, Onipchenko, Vladimir, Pärtel, Meelis, Phosri, Cherdchai, Põlme, Sergei, Püssa, Kersti, Ronk, Argo, Saitta, Alessandro, Semboli, Olivia, Sepp, Siim Kaarel, Seregin, Alexey, Sudheer, Surya, Peña-Venegas, Clara P., Paz, Claudia, Vahter, Tanel, Vasar, Martti, Veraart, Annelies J., Tedersoo, Leho, Zobel, Martin, Öpik, Maarja
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Wiley 01.07.2021; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Abundance; Acaulosporaceae; Agricultural sciences; arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; Arbuscular mycorrhizas; Biodiversity and Ecology; Botanics; Dispersal; Ecological distribution; Ecological function; ecological niche; Ecological niches; Ecology; Ecology, environment; Ecosystems; Ekologi; Environmental Sciences; Fungi; Gigasporaceae; Glomeraceae; Life Sciences; Low temperature; Microorganisms; molecular taxa; niche optimum; niche width; Niches; pH effects; phylogenetic correlation; Phylogeny; Relative abundance; Soil; Soil study; Taxa; temperature; Vegetal Biology; vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae; molecular taxa; arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; niche optimum; niche width; pH; temperature; phylogenetic correlation; ecological niche; Temperature; température du sol; Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; Gigasporaceae; Niche width; Acaulosporaceae; Niche optimum; Glomeraceae; champignon du sol; facteurs abiotiques; mycorhize arbusculaire; phytoécologie; pH de la rhizosphère; Ecological niche; Niche écologique; PH; phylogénie; Molecular taxa; Phylogenetic correlation
• ISSN: 0028-646X; 1469-8137; 1469-8137
• DOI: 10.1111/nph.17240

The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are a globally distributed group of soil organisms that play critical roles in ecosystem function. However, the ecological niches of individual AM fungal taxa are poorly understood. We collected > 300 soil samples from natural ecosystems worldwide and modelled the realised niches of AM fungal virtual taxa (VT; approximately species-level phylogroups). We found that environmental and spatial variables jointly explained VT distribution worldwide, with temperature and pH being the most important abiotic drivers, and spatial effects generally occurring at local to regional scales. While dispersal limitation could explain some variation in VT distribution, VT relative abundance was almost exclusively driven by environmental variables. Several environmental and spatial effects on VT distribution and relative abundance were correlated with phylogeny, indicating that closely related VT exhibit similar niche optima and widths. Major clades within the Glomeraceae exhibited distinct niche optima, Acaulosporaceae generally had niche optima in low pH and low temperature conditions, and Gigasporaceae generally had niche optima in high precipitation conditions. Identification of the realised niche space occupied by individual and phylogenetic groups of soil microbial taxa provides a basis for building detailed hypotheses about how soil communities respond to gradients and manipulation in ecosystems worldwide.